Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-27

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether.

Do you think the environmental benefits of this development outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Nowadays, frequency of flying is going to decrease, and some people are not using aeroplanes for travel anymore. Although, this trend has significantly reduced pollution, I believe it's disadvantages of travel becoming a long and tiresome process and business losses outweigh any potential advantage.

One of the major benefits of this trend is that it can significantly decrease carbon emission and pollution. Our air quality has been compromised a lot in the past due to fumes and smoke released from combustion of flying vehicles' fuel, which has resulted in spread of various respiratory diseases across the world. So, avoiding travel by aeroplanes can reduce pollution and respiratory diseases. However, I believe that instead of abandoning the flying by aeroplanes, this problem can be solved by implementing certain rules on fuel use and by encouraging use of fuel that has less side effects on air quality.

On the other side, restricting flying mode of transportation has some drawbacks as travel time will become longer and buisnesses that depend on fast travel might be affected by it. For example, in this era, thousands of businessmen use aeroplanes and helicopters across the world for business purposes in order to reach their destinations. If it is not for flying mode, their buisnesses will face losses and they will suffer economically. Same is the case for individuals who use this mode of transportation for various purposes. For instance, a student living abroad may not be able to attend funeral of his closed relatives without travelling by plane. Therefore, I think disadvantages of not using aeroplanes outweigh the advantages.

To conclude, although reducing or not using flying mode of transport may have benefits for environment such as reducing pollution, it's disadvantages of causing losses in buisnesses and affecting individuals life by increasing travel time far outweigh any potential advantage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you believe the disadvantages outweigh the environmental benefits, and you address both sides of the question. The discussion of reduced emissions and respiratory illness is relevant, while the examples of business travel and attending a relative’s funeral help show the personal and economic costs. This covers the task well, but some points are asserted more than developed. For instance, the claim that businesses would suffer losses could be explained through effects on meetings, trade, or time-sensitive work. The proposed alternatives—fuel rules and cleaner fuel—are also introduced but not connected fully to your overall comparison. More precise explanation of how the benefits compare with the costs would make the argument more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, the body paragraphs consider benefits and disadvantages, and the conclusion restates your position. Ideas generally progress in a logical order, and examples are placed alongside the points they support. Cohesive expressions such as “However,” “For example,” and “Therefore” help guide the reader. At times, though, the linking feels mechanical or the reference is unclear. “On the other side” is less natural for introducing a contrasting argument, and “this trend” in the opening could refer more precisely to reduced flying. The final paragraph largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing the comparison together. Use a wider range of links and clearer references to strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “carbon emission,” “air quality,” “combustion,” “respiratory diseases,” and “economically.” These choices make the environmental and financial themes clear, and some less common terms show an effort to be precise. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “flying vehicles,” “fuel that has less side effects,” and “closed relatives.” There are also spelling errors in “buisnesses,” and repeated use of “mode of transportation” and “advantages” limits flexibility. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; this would make your meaning more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “Although this trend has significantly reduced pollution…” and a conditional sentence beginning “If it is not for flying mode…”. Most ideas remain understandable, and errors rarely prevent communication. Some grammatical problems are noticeable, however. The opening “Although,” is incorrectly followed by a comma and a main clause; “it’s disadvantages” should use a possessive form, and “a student… may not be able to attend” is followed by the awkward construction “without travelling by plane.” There are also issues with articles and number, as in “carbon emission” and “individuals life.” Review possessives, articles, and clause punctuation, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.